Learning How To Love When You're Dying
by WhatIfHairDryersWereGuns
Summary: Casey and Derek find out something terrible about them and their friends. Will this fact tear the feuding step siblings apart? Or draw them closer and eventually learning to love one another? On HAITUS.
1. Chapter 1

Casey walked down the hall to her bedroom when someone came up from behind her and grabbed her, suddenly. Fear taking over her, Casey began to scream, only to be shushed with one of Derek's fingers, as he guided her to _his_ room.

"DE-REK!" Casey screamed. "What the hell? Where do _you_ get off at by coming up from behind and scaring the shit out of me?"

"Case, listen, I need your help." Derek told her frantically.

"With what?" Casey asked, skeptically. "If it's illegal, I'm telling mom and George. But, if it's serious for kids in high school, then I'll help."

"Casey! Would you shut up for once in your life?" Derek yelled with so much seriousness in his voice that Casey began to tremble with fear of what was going on.

"Derek, what is going on?"

"I… I don't know… Well, I thought you would know what to do… I just… Case, please, I don't know what to do… I don't…"

"Derek, Derek! Calm down, what is going on?"

"Um… well, you remember that party we went to and I hooked up with Emily when we were drunk?"

"Yeah… why?" Casey asked.

"Well, Emily just told me that she was… is." Derek corrected. "HIV positive… and…"

"And you want me to take you to go get checked?"

"That and… a while after you and Sam broke up, the did it… drunken of course…"

"And?"

"You and Sam were… intimate… right?"

"Yeah, but, what does that have to do with me… why do you care?"

"You see, Sam was… back in middle school, Sam was a big time druggie, he was shooting up and everything… Emily got it from Sam. He just recently tested positive too. He wanted to tell you, but, I told him no… I would. Casey, did you guys use protection?"

Realization hit Casey like a ton of bricks.

"Case?" asked, looking concerned.

"Get out."

"What?" he asked disbelieving and shocked.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!" Casey screamed.

"What? No, Casey, I'm as serious as death! Did you guys use protection?"

Casey sat there, silently crying. "No."

"Oh, God…" Derek whispered.

"Derek! Oh my God! This means that I have… how could I be so stupid?" Casey cried, tears now streaming down her face.

"Case, we don't know, yet. Sweetie, we have to go to the clinic. Case, calm down."

"Ok… ok… Oh, God, I can't! Oh, Derek! What if, what if… oh, God… we have to tell mom and George."

"Not until we know, Case."

"No… I don't want to know."

"If you don't know and you do have it, then you can get sick and die… Casey…"

"And? My life is over, anyways. Why'd you tell me, Derek? You ruin everything!" Casey whispered.

"Casey… CASEY! Snap out of it. We don't know yet. And you're life won't be over. Not until it's your time. I can't go through this alone… Case, not without you."

"I can't have HIV, Derek, I just can't. I'm going to Yale in the fall. I just can't… How am I going to live?"

"One day at a time. And don't freak out, Case, like I said, we don't know."

"Then, we should go get tested." Casey told him.

"Ok, then." Derek answered as he walked towards Casey, grabbed her arm, walked to his door, grabbed his keys and walked out of the room in one swift motion.

"Derek… what are you doing?"

"We have to do this as soon as possible."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Derek!" Casey squealed. " Can you wait?"

"For?"

"I'm not dressed. I'm not ready, at least, not yet."

"Then when?"

"Tomorrow, Derek, please? Just give me one day to let it all sink in. And tomorrow we'll go get tested. I promise."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Then…" Nora walked into the living room, interrupting Derek.

"Hey, you two. What are you up to?" Nora asked.

"Oh, nothing." Casey answered. "We were going to go to a movie or something and Derek was rushing me out the door and I was telling him I wasn't dressed and then…"

"What she's saying is, we decided not to go since Casey would spend half the night getting ready."

"Right… hey!" Casey yelled.

"Oh, well, alright. Dinner will be ready in a few."

"Ok, mom. Well, if you need us, we'll be upstairs." Casey told her mother and dragged Derek up the stairs and into her room.

"Ugh! That was so close!" Casey whined. "How are we going to keep this secret for long?"

"Easy… you just keep telling white lies like that and I'll follow along."

"I can't, Derek, I've almost never lied to my mom."

"Almost."

"Not over something as serious as this."

"Case…"

"Kids, dinner's ready!"

Derek and Casey looked at each other, sharing the same thoughts and look.

"Oh, no. I can't go down there. Tell them I'm not feeling well or something." Casey told Derek.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, they already know that you're fine."

&&&

Dinner was almost a painful silence until…

"George did you hear about the Davis's daughter, Emily?"

"No, what about her?"

Derek and Casey looked at each other swiftly and shared another look.

"Well, Mrs. Davis told me that she took Emily to the clinic and got some terrible news. She advised me to take Derek and Casey to the clinic."

"What for?"

Right at this point, Derek and Casey both excused themselves from the table and left the house altogether for a walk in the fresh air.

"Oh my God. Derek, my mom is going to try to take us to the clinic."

"Nah. I don't think that she'll try to take you, only me."

"What are we going to do?"

"Just make up an excuse, we'll go by ourselves tomorrow morning, bright and early."


	2. Chapter 2

"Casey, wake up." Derek whispered in her ear the next morning.

"I don't want to." Casey groaned.

"Case, you have to, before your mom and my dad wake up." Derek urged.

"Alright, fine… I'm up." Casey whispered, gathering her clothes and getting ready for a shower.

"Case, could you hurry up the shower, I have to take one too." Derek told her.

"Whatever."

About twenty minutes later, Casey was still in the shower.

"Casey…hurry up." Derek said as he started to bang on the door, realizing it was unlocked, Derek decided to give Casey a little visit.

"Casey, hurry up." Derek said again.

"Hold on, Derek, I'm almost finished."

"No, I don't think I'm going to wait." Derek said as he reached into the shower and pulled her out.

"DE-REK!" Casey screeched.

"Shh…"Derek laughed, trying to quiet her down. "You'll wake the house. I was just trying to shaken things up a bit, you know to make sure that you weren't _too_ nervous for what today has to offer."

"Oh, yeah, and pulling me out of the shower is really gonna help, Derek. Especially, when you're still holding me and I'm naked." Casey finished, blushing furiously.

"Oh, right." Derek said in a high voice as her let her go and ran to his room.

&&&

"McDonald-Venturi?" a young nurse asked, looking around the waiting room in her white nurse's outfit and popping her gum.

"Right here." Casey said as she grabbed Derek's arm and led him to the nurse, along with her.

"It's McDonald _and_ Venturi." Derek corrected the woman.

"Right. This way." She told them nonchalantly, leading them to a deserted testing room. "The actual doctor will be here with you shortly."

"Phew!" Derek exclaimed. "Thought she'd never leave."

"Derek…" Casey whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared… I mean really scared."

"Don't be… it'll be fine. I promise."

"But you don't know, Derek. You don't know." Casey said, crying now.

"No… Case, trust me. It will be."

"Trust you? When have I ever been able to trust _you_, Derek? All you've ever done to me is torment me!" Casey cried.

"Just, please, Case for once…"

Casey opened her mouth to retort when the doctor walked in.

"Casey McDonald? And Derek Venturi?" (A/N: Ok, I'm a Navy brat and me and my sister had an appointment at the same time with the same person before, and I don't know if doctors actually do that in the civilian world, but, it's my story so w/e.)

"Yes" The two answered.

"Well, I'll have to take you blood and then you two will be off to the waiting room again so I can get it checked. Ok?"

"Yeah, ok." Derek responded instantly.

"Um… sure." Casey stuttered as the doctor began to take Derek's blood and then her own.

"I'm afraid of needles." Casey told the doctor.

"Aww. Well, all you have to do is hold your boyfriend's hand here and it will all be over in a jiffy, Ok?"

"Uh. He's not…"

"Ok, doc. Go ahead." Derek said as he grabbed Casey's hand and motioned an "It's ok." look at Casey.

"Alrighty we're all done here. Now go in to the waiting room and I'll be with you shortly to see your results."


	3. Chapter 3

"Derek and Casey Venturi?" The nurse from earlier asked.

"It's Casey McDonald and Derek Venturi… for the thousandth time…" Casey muttered under her breath as she and Derek followed the nurse into the examination room.

"Well, the tests have been analyzed and I'm afraid that I've got some regretfully bad news."

"Oh, good God." Casey whispered.

"Ms. McDonald…"

"Y… yes?" Casey stuttered.

"I'm pleased to inform you that your test is negative."

"Oh thank God!" Casey screamed as she began to cry hysterically.

"Mr. Venturi… I regret to inform you that your test is indeed positive. I'm so sorry." The nurse told them with sorrow in her eyes. "Now, what is going to happen, dear, is that you will have to wait a while in the pharmacy to get your medication. It has a lot of different side-affects that includes drowsiness and all other sorts of problems. But, other than that, it will help you survive."

Casey was now shaking viscously. "But… why… can't you… isn't… there must be some mistake…" Casey sputtered out.

"I'm so sorry, young lady, but there is no mistake. This is a new and improved test, it never lies." She half nodded.

"But… no!" Casey screamed.

"Shh… Case… it'll be ok." Derek tried to soothe her.

"No, Derek… you're going to die!" Casey cried as the nurse slipped out of the room.

"No, I'm not, Casey. I'll be fine."

"How can you be so positive about this?"

"Easy. You're still ok. You're healthy."

"But, Derek… _you_ aren't…"

"Case, no, don't worry. As long as _you're_ fine, _I _will be fine."

"Maybe we should go to the pharmacy now." Casey suggested.

"I don't want to. Not yet." Derek whispered.

"Ok, we'll just wait."

"Thank you, Casey."

Silence ensued as the two sat there unwillingly getting closer to one another. "Case?"

"Yeah, Derek?"

"I… how are we going to tell my dad and your mom?"

"I don't know…" Casey answered, softly.

&&&

"Now serving B23 at window number 6." The voice echoed throughout the waiting room in the pharmacy.

"Derek…" Casey whispered. "Derek, that's you." Casey almost screamed at Derek's dozing figure as she got up.

"Oh! Right." Derek said as he got up and walked alongside Casey to the window.

"Here you go, dude." The guy at the window said as he handed over all the medications to Derek.

"Uh, thanks." Derek grimaced as he grabbed the bag of meds as he and Casey walked out of the building and towards Derek's car.

"Derek?" Casey asked.

"Yeah?" Derek answered.

"Do you want to go out for some lunch? We could get McDonald's or something…"

Derek let out a grunt. "I don't know, Case."

"Oh… ok…" Casey said, hurt in her voice as she did so.

"We're not fighting." Derek said pointedly.

"Do you want to fight?" Casey asked.

Derek went silent. The truth was he really didn't miss the heated fights as much as he thought he would. The two of them being civil, really made Derek feel a lot… closer to Casey than he had ever been before. Especially over the passed two years that they really got to know one another, and Derek enjoyed getting along with her.

"No." He answered finally, "I like the peace and quiet and I like the civilized conversations."

"Really? I thought that you would pick a fight or something." Casey sighed.

"Oh… Do you want to fight?" Derek laughed.

"No… this is nice."

"Yeah, we really got to know one another." Derek said as he drove down the street towards McDonald's.

"And we figured that we have A LOT in common."

"Yeah… we've had some good times… well look where we are!" Derek yelled, quickly changing the subject.

"You know we really have a lot of good times." Casey agreed. "Derek?"

"Yeah, Case?"

"I don't want to lose you." Casey confessed, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Oh, Case." Derek said as he pulled her in for a hug.

'He's really grown up, a lot in the passed few years… And a lot more than that in the last hour…' Casey thought, hugging him back. 

"Don't worry about me, it was my own stupidity."

"Derek, how did you get it, and I didn't?" Casey whispered.

"I don't know. Maybe you were lucky."

"Yeah…" Casey sighed. "But, you weren't.

"Hey, let's not think about this right now, let's go get a nice double cheeseburger."

"Derek, I don't eat those." Casey smiled.

"I know, but have you ever tried one?" Derek laughed.

"Nope. And I don't plan on it."

"Aww. Come on! Casey, haven't you ever wanted to try the sweet beef of McDonald's cheeseburger?" Derek asked as he exited the car with Casey in pursuit.

"Fine! Fine, I'll try a bite of yours. And only, a bite!" Casey grimaced.

"Alright…"

"Hello and welcome to McDonald's may I take your order?"

"Um, yeah. Can we have one double quarter pounder and a large order of fries and a large coke?" Derek told the cashier.

"Ok, anything else?"

"Uh, yeah a fruit and walnut salad along with a chicken salad and a… larger water?"

"Mmmhmm is that all?"

"Yes." The two said in unison.

"Your total is $23.05." The cashier said as Derek handed him $24 dollars.

"Thank you, please come again." The guy mused as Derek and Casey moved along to wait for their orders.

Derek and Casey soon got their orders and were walking to a table when realization finally hit Derek.

"Case?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we… um… take this to the car?" Derek asked abruptly.

"Sure, Derek, why?"

"I'll tell you there."

"Well, ok." Casey said as she and Derek walked back out to the car and sat down to eat their lunch.


End file.
